Put your best foot forward

They literally bear the brunt of our busy lifestyles, and yet most of us spend very little time caring for them. Spare a thought for our body part that does the real (no offence) heavy lifting.

Whether you dance with two left feet, get cold feet every now and then, or fail to toe the line sometimes, our feet manage to find their way into every corner of our lives. And despite their epic task (carrying us around), we often judge the pair we own so harshly. “It’s important to remember that feet are rarely perfect,” says Dr Helen Banwell, podiatry academic at the University of South Australia and a member of the Australian Podiatry Association. “People tend to cram them into shoes when they have lumps and bumps, and so we don’t realise just how normal this is.” To follow, insider tricks for pampering your feet so they look and feel gorgeous, as well as answers to gnarly questions from podiatrists who have seen it all before.

Rhymes with shmungal

When it comes to the dreaded fungal nail infection, “prevention is easier than cure, so keep your feet dry and clean as much as possible and treat any fungal skin infections quickly,” says Helen, noting that ‘athlete’s foot’ (or tinea pedis) is where most fungal nail infections originate. “The most effective cures involve seeing your GP for a prescription drug, or heading to the pharmacy for medicated nail paint,” says Helen. If you want to try a more conservative approach, first make sure you have a fungal infection and not something else. “It will either be a fluffy white patch that appears on top of nails or yellow streaking under the nail,” she says. Next, you can use apple cider vinegar soaks for a few minutes every second day (re-use the vinegar until it becomes murky), or tea tree oil which has some effect on reducing fungal infection spread and can be applied directly to the nail. And be patient, says Helen: “Fungal nail infections take a long time to go as they need to ‘grow out’ after the infection as stopped being active.”

When it hurts to walk

“Heel pain is a common issue that is often left to the point of being very stressful,” says Helen, noting that this is pain you feel at the base of the heel, just behind the arch. “Often called plantar fasciitis, people really struggle with what we call ‘first step pain,’ which is where it hurts to put your foot down when you first get up and so you need to hobble for the first few steps.” This usually starts out as just a small ache, but people ignore it for so long that they are often struggling to walk by the time they seek help. “Seeing a podiatrist early means we can help you get rid of the problem before it affects your ability to walk,” says Helen.

Sweet feet

Given that our feet have about 250,000 sweat glands (producing up to 200ml of perspiration each day), it’s no wonder they can be a bit on the beak sometimes. “The two main things that make our feet smell are sweating, which increases the bacterial load on our skin, or athlete’s foot, which is the most common infection known to humans,” says Helen. For both causes, mild to moderate cases will improve by keeping the feet clean (daily washing with soap) and drying well, particularly between the toes. “For sweaty feet alone, I’ll often prescribe Akileine Green cream, which reduces sweat very well,” she advises.

A bump in the road

“Bunions are actually a slow dislocation of the joint of the big toe,” says Dr Helen. “It involves the big toe bone moving towards the lesser toes whilst the bone closer to the ankle that makes up the other half of the joint moves in the opposite direction.” Unfortunately, most bunions are hereditary and the only way to correct them is surgery. “However, wearing shoes that don’t put pressure on our toes and using soft padding can slow down their development and make them less painful.”